The Bell Ringer of Themiscaryia
by crimsonnotion65
Summary: Diana is a girl with one dream. To be outside. To be around people instead of ringing the palace bells every day. After twenty years, her dream comes true with the help of her friends. She learns the truth and her world changes. With some love along the way.
1. Chapter 1

Artemis

Hipployta screamed in pain as she gave into labor. I held her hand and kept telling her to breathe. Hipployta suddenly held her breath as we heard the sound of piercing cries. Cassia smiled as she held the queen's child in her arms. Carefully wrapped in a blanket, Cassia handed the now quiet child to Hipployta. She quietly cried as she held her sleeping daughter. And as if on cue, the young girl opened her eyes. Indigo blue. Alarms immediately went off in my mind. As the captain of the guard, it was my duty to protect the people of Themiscaryia. And having a blue-eyed heir, it was a recipe for disaster.

About four decades ago, Themiscaryia was in a war with itself. Sister vs. Sister. It was a massacre. All because our sisters with blue eyes believed that man was kind and pure. We had to kill them all. I was just an apprentice at the time. My mother was the former captain of the guard. She was killed by a blue trying to protect Hipployta's mother. Ever since then, I hated every blue and vowed to kill every last one. And the princess was next on my list.

After saying my congrats, I walked out of the queen's chamber and headed to my own. My chambers were second largest in the palace. But instead of my sheets being pure white, my sheets were rich blood red. It was my favorite color; my mother's too. I looked into my mirror as I always did when I needed to see the resemblance. Big almond shape-hazel eyes with a hint of dark green. Long red orange hair that flowed down to my waist. I was the most beautiful in all of the island and everyone knew it. I was always told it and I acknowledged it every chance I got when I was talking to my troops. Then as I stared as my reflection, I started to worry. What if the princess was going to be lovelier than me? It was all the more reason to kill her.

So that night I planned. The following night I would kill the girl. It was the perfect plan. I made my way to the nursery. The queen was there, humming a sweet lullaby near the crib. I wasn't expecting that. She turned around and saw me. I quickly put the kitchen knife I had snagged behind my back, slipping it in my sheath. I flashed her smile.

"Oh,hello Artemis." She said. I walked toward her.

"Hello my queen. How is the princess doing?" I asked, trying to maintain my innocent facade. She looked down into the crib. My gaze followed hers. There, lay the princess sound asleep, her chest rising with every breath. She was very much alive.

"I still haven't decided what her name would be." She said. I instantly thought of my mother's name. Diana.

"What about Diana?" I suggested. "No, I don't think so." She replied. That made me so angry. How could she not name the girl after my mother?

"I was thinking on more the lines of Lily or something like that. You know, my mother's name." She said. I couldn't handle that anymore. I unsheathed the knife. She looked at me and fear spread across her face. She quickly grabbed her daughter and moved back. She was so scared.

I was too.

"Artemis," She pleaded. "Please don't hurt my child. Not my baby girl." She was crying. I was ready to slash her neck open, to just see the blood come out. What is wrong with me? I was acting so sick and twisted. My knife was just inches. _Inches_ away from piercing her skin. But I hesitated. She took this moment and ran.

I chased after her. No one was out so all we could hear is our breathing and our footsteps. When I came to the ballroom. It was dark, black as night. I carefully focused on my hearing and I heard her panting near by. I knew she knew where I was. She knew that I found her. She bolted for the door leading to the courtyard. I was able to catch up to her and grabbed the child from her arms.

And then I did it.

With the baby held in one arm, I slashed her neck with the knife. She fell on the stone steps, causing her to crack her head open. She wouldn't have survived anyway. I didn't bother to look at the child. I walked to the fountain and was going to throw the child in, leave her for dead. The baby started to cry as if she knew what I have done.

"What have you done?!" A voice called. I turned around to see Lola, a warrior and the queen's friend, attending now to the dead body. There was streaks of tears.

"She ran. I pursued. She was carrying an abomination of a child." I looked back at the child, who was still dangling from my hand.

"You killed our queen. Right in front of the eyes of the gods," She points to the eyes of the gods on our mural. The eyes were staring at me. And in a moment I knew there was a greater power than mine. One that can strip me from my immortality. They were displeased.

"What do I need to do?" I ask. She looks at me with Hipployta's head laying on her thighs.

"Take the child in as your own." She said. I almost dropped the child to the sound of that.

"You want me to care for this thing?!" I almost yell. It was insanity. To take _care_ of this child. A blue. I wasn't exactly skilled in the department of taking care of a baby. I instantly regretted killing her mother. But a wave of satisfaction came over me as I looked at the bloody Lola. With the queen having no heir, I guess it was my turn for the throne. A small smile appeared on my face.

"We'll have a deal. But only if you hide her." I said.

"Were would I hide her? There is no room."

"The bell tower." I say, "Have her ring the bells instead of you. It was certainly make your jobs easier."

And with that, we made arrangements to keep the child in the bell tower. She asked what I was going to do with the body. I told her I will bury it. She was still very much angry with me. When she walked away, I just dumped her body at the ocean. Poseidon could have her corpse as a friend. There was no questions asked or anything. There was a funeral, but we said the queen had decided to commit suicide after having the baby.

I didn't kill the child, but something dark and twisted grew inside of me when I held the child. Something I would never forget. I named her Diana. No one knew of her well being except for me and Lola. I hated her with all my heart. A blue eyed girl. At night I'd go to her crib and watch her sleep. I may not kill her now, but perhaps later.

Someday.


	2. Chapter 2

Diana

Bells, bells, and bells. It's the only thing I can so. It's the only thing I know how to do really. Everyday the same routine. Wake up, ring, afternoon, ring, and ring at midnight. But today is so much different. The festival of lovelies. A festival in which every girl is judged by their natural beauty. They are all drunk so they don't mind the insults the get, it's all forgotten in the morning. I've watched it from the bell tower longingly for twenty years. I watch as every child laughed at their mother then give them a kiss on the cheek and always grabbed their legs whenever they tried to leave for the night.

My mother left me when I was born. Artemis was the only person I had who is good to me and spoke honestly. She'd tell me that my mother was never ready for a child, so she left me at the steps of the bell tower. Artemis was kind to me, she told me how horrible it would be for me to go out into the world looking the way I do. I was a monster, she said. I'd always looked in the mirror in disgust. She was right; black hair, tanned skin, and crystal blue eyes. It was a horrific combination. She said I would be burned at the stake for the way I looked.

I walk out to the balcony, lean over it and look down. The square was already decorated with ribbons, a stage, and a large tent that would hold all the performers. I sighed. Singing and dancing would be heard nonstop today. Something I always enjoyed. I felt saddened. I never got to go, I wasn't even allowed to step out of my room, my little sanctuary. Artemis always went, but she made it such a drag. Always so stern and doesn't even bother to smile during the performances.

As I continued to look at the square, I heard chirping beside me. I look over to the gargoyle perched beside me. A bird was sitting there, chirping his song away in his comfortable little nest. It was a sad song, probably because he was longing to fly with the others. I carefully pick him up in my hand. His feathers were a soft gray, smooth as silk.

"Hello there." I say. I know it can't understand me, but I don't have anyone to talk to. It chirps me a greeting and I smile. A wave of birds flock past us and it whips my hair in front of my face. I pull it back.

The bird is now at my fingertips. I can feel it's little legs digging in between my nails and skin. He was desperate. He just needed a little push.

"You think you're ready to fly?" I ask it. He looks at me then looks down. I kept going. I wasn't going to let another creature stay in their boundaries.

"Come on, if I was you I'd already be flapping. Today is the festival of lovelies so it's bound to be a lot of fun." I say. In a second he's off my hand and in the air. I laugh. He chirps at my happily and takes off to catch up with the others. I resume staring at the square.

"Di!" I hear a pair of voices say. Alexa and Lacy. Two out of the four people that knew about me. They visit me as often they can. I turn around and Lacy already starts to hug me. She's only twelve and silly. Alexa is incredibly smart and she is twenty also. Lola walks in after them, giving me her aged smile. She was Alexa's mom. Lacy peers over the edge. Her eyes light up and she squeals excitedly.

"You have such a good view Di! It'll be fun watching it from up here." She says. And then I'm back to being sad again.

"Yeah, _watching_." I say. She knows I'm sad, so she points to someone in the square.

"Look, she's right in the target." She then collects all her spit and is about to go for it when Lola shoots her a look. The saliva that was dripping from her lip is now gone. Alexa laughs but I don't. Instead, I roll my eyes and walk away. I could hear Alexa and Lacy imply that I was sick. Then Lola scolds them for not seeing what's actually wrong.

I sit on the hard wooden stool that is seated right in front of a table full of clay. To others, this is a work of art, I made the city as far as I could see. But to me, it is my life passing by without me. I make the city out of clay to keep in touch with everything. If something happened, I added it in.

"Why the long face? You love the festival." Lola puts her hand on my back.

"I just don't feel like watching it this year, that's all." I imply, trying to make my voice sound convincing. It doesn't work. Lola always knows when I'm lying. She sat down next tome.

"Diana, here's the thing. Life isn't something that you watch go by like it's nothing. You've been watching your life for the past twenty years, why don't you start living in it?" She asks me. She gives me a look that only Lacy would give. It was like she was hinting at something.

"Lola," I start. "we've talked about this. You know I'd never fit in over there. I'm not... you know." I point to my eyes. Lola shakes her head.

"Oh come on D. We're your friends. And as your smartest friend, I think it'll be a fantastic experience for you to attend." Alexa said. Lacy jumps onto Alexa's back and gives her a choking with a playful smile on her face. Alexa looks annoyed, but then softens and hoists Lacy up higher when she started to slip.

Lola tugs on my arm. "Just put on one of Alexa's dresses, a hood and you'll be on your way." I pull away from her.

"I appreciate the gesture but you're all forgetting one important detail." They all raise an eyebrow. I sigh and hold a tiny figure. "Artemis." As soon as I say her name the realization hits them like a cold gust of air.

Alexa drops Lacy and puts a hand to her chin. I swear the woman is a human calculator. It's like she's multiplying the number of years to forever and squaring it then subtracting by one. She was truly incredible.

"Well, when she said that you were forbidden from going anywhere does she actually mean till the day you die?" I nod. The worst part about it is that I can't die. We amazons are immortal. We live forever and grow old. I'll be here till my forty-thousandth birthday.

"Besides, you know she hates the festival." I say, putting my hands on my cheeks worrisome. "She'll be madder than Hades himself if I asked to go."

Now this is when Lacy has that strange face on. Lola is making the same face. This is when I know they are going to bring up the idea. I swear to the gods these two have a mind link or at least one of them is secretly the oracle. Sometimes I wonder how I could handle these three for so long. In my mind, I desperately wanted to say yes. But the more responsible side of me takes over quickly and says no to it.

"Nope. I'm not doing it. You're not going to get me in trouble." I said quickly before one of them said a word. Lacy frowns. She stands in front of me and puts her hands on my shoulders.

"Listen. You have spent _way_ to much time with the smart ass over there." She points to Alexa, who looks offended. "Nobody likes a goody goody. It's only for one small afternoon; no one will even know you're gone. Sneak out and then you sneak in. It's that simple."

I am a fanatic with lists. So when I listed the pros and cons, it was a hard decision. Pro, I get to step outside and live my life for once. Con, I get caught and then horribly punished. Pro, I get to go to the festival and be in the fun. Con, I won't necessarily fit in with everyone else. The way I see it, it's a fifty-fifty chance. All of them are waiting for my answer. Yes or no, simple as that.

"Oh what the Hades I'll go." They cheer. "I'll get cleaned up, get down the stairs, and I'll march right through those doors." I say confidently. But then I realize they are gone. Instead, Artemis stands in front of me, holding the general portions of food she gives me in a basket. I'm generally scared by her. She was tall, almost like a giant. I take a step back.

"Morning Miss." I say. She looks around questioningly and then looks at me.

"Who are you talking to child?" She asks suspiciously. I wring my hands together. She places the basket on the table and cocks an eyebrow. I look off to the side and see the tiniest bit of orange and blond hair. I look back at Artemis.

"My friends." I said. Artemis laughs.

"And what are your 'friends' made of?" She asks me.

"Air."

"Can air talk?" I'm silent. She gives me a smile that doesn't reach her eyes.

She sits down at a small table off to the side and I run to get plates and cups. I grab the nicest one for her, and the nastiest one for me. My cup is made out of wood while hers is pure silver. Sometimes I wonder why she would give such delicate things to me, despite me being a klutz. I place everything on the table nicely and sit down in front of her.

"Shall we review your spelling?" She asks me. I nod. She takes out a book. She starts it off with abomination, blasphemy, contribution, damnation, eternal damnation. I spell everyone correctly and perfectly. But when we get to F, I mess up. The word is forgiveness and I spell just fine.

"F-o-r-g-i-v-e-n-e-s-s. Festival." To Artemis, those are bad words. Words that cause an even greater threat to her than any god. She chokes on her wine and wipes her mouth with a cloth. She glares at me and I imagine steam coming out of her nose like a bull.

"Pardon?"

I knew I messed up badly. I knew I'd be punished for what I said. Even Lola would be disappointed. I cover my mouth and look down pleadingly. I remove my hand from my mouth.

"I'm sorry milady. I was thinking about the festival. Please do not punish me." I beg. That cheers her up. She likes it when I beg for her forgiveness.

"Good. You are forgiven. But if you even think about the festival again the consequences will be greater than death." And with that she walks away. I look at the clay table and sigh.

All my life, I've watched from afar. Always looking in. To me, the clay is my life going without me. I add in every single detail. Every nook and cranny I have. Even the detail of the people I have. But I never thought I'd be adding a crashed jet to the mix.

Or him.


	3. Chapter 3

Bruce

I don't remember a lot of things. Everything happened quickly. It's puzzling. Just waking up tied onto a chair by chains. If only Boy Scout had been here with me but he was busy with another mission. I was in a cell, it was cold and dark. Like my cave. I turned my head to the side as I felt the sun on my face. I was out of it. My arm hurt as I tried to move. I looked at my shoulder. Blood. Great.

I could hear footsteps walking toward me, but with the sun in my eyes I can't really take a good look at them. But it doesn't matter. The person moves my chair to the side so that the sun is out of my eyes. At first I was expecting a male to point the sword at me but it was a woman. She was taller than the average man, her fiery orange hair was tied back into a ponytail. She tilted my head up with the point of her sword.

"See something you like?" I say as her eyes look up and down my body. She raises her eyebrows slightly when she looks at a certain part of me. She says something, but I can't understand it. Of all the languages in the world, it had to be Greek. I'm still learning it. She sighs and says something to a woman standing behind her who is just as tall as her. I'm six one, but they are like giants. The woman behind her leaves, off in a scamper. The woman bends down a little, so she's at eye level with me. I see the tiniest hint of a smile. Suddenly, a loud ringing could be heard. But it's coming from where I am. Am I in a bell tower?

The woman that hurried off is now back. But there is someone with her. Another girl, with black hair, crystal blue eyes, and possibly the most serene smile ever. She is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. The woman who knelt down before me stands back up and starts talking to the beauty. The girl nods and the woman with the sword gives me one last look before walking away. It's just me and the girl now, she looks at me. She walks behind me and unlatches the chains from me. They fall with a jingling thud. I rub my wrists.

"No," She says as I try to stand up. I'm surprised. "I have to dress your wound." I sit back down. She starts to address my arm. I stare at her. She looks at me but focuses her attention back on my arm.

"So, you can speak English?" I ask her. She nods but doesn't look at me.

"I taught myself how to. As far as I know, I'm the only one who can." She explains. I'm impressed. I have never met someone else who has taught themselves how to speak another language.

"Since you can understand me, mind telling me where I am?" I ask.

"Themiscaryia." She says. "Or otherwise known as Paradise Island."

"You mean the place where the only residents on the island are women?"

She doesn't answer me, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. My question lingers in the still air. She kneels down and starts to bandage my arm. Her touch feels cool against my skin.

"You don't socialize a lot do you?" I say. She gives me a quick glance and looks back down. She shakes her head. So far this conversation is being buried in the dust. We stay silent for the next few minuets. She finishes fixing my arm and turns to leave. But when she's halfway out, she stops and turns back at me.

"You should stay here and wait till the mistress comes back. And whatever you do, don't try running off. She'll kill you if you do." I nod. She turns to leave but I get up and grab her hand before she does.

"I never got your name." I say. I don't know why I did it. She was different. And she had caught my attention the moment she came in. She gives me a small smile.

"It's Diana."

"It's nice to meet you, Diana."


	4. Chapter 4

Artemis

I'll admit, the stranger was handsome. A broad chest, tanned skin, and a firm jawline. Who says looks aren't everything? To me they are. His features were exquisite, perfect in every way. He had caught my attention the first time I saw him. I'm not going to lie, I wanted to do some things while he was chained up, but of course, Lola always had to step in and ruin my fun.

But I am jealous. I am jealous of the way he looked at Diana. He was mesmerized by her beauty. When I walked away I saw the look Diana gave him. She was in a trance for the quickest second. I left in a bad mood. It wasn't fair. The first man to ever come here and he is already snatched away in a second. I left with Lola, not bothering to talk with her until she brought up one of the most dreadful subjects to talk about.

"The festival is coming up in a few hours, isn't it exciting?" She says. I groan in disgust.

The festival of lovelies. The worst day of the year. It's been here since the dawn of time and every year, I hate it more and more. Ever since I saw my mother not be crowned as the most beautiful and watch as Hipployta be crowned my perspective of it hasn't been the same. I hate it. Now, the most beautiful has always been me. For the past twenty years it's been me. As I said, looks are everything.

"Of course," I lie. "It's always been a joyous event. I wonder who will win this year." Another lie. I have my guards fill the box with ballots with my name on it. Yes it is cheating, but everyone is drunk anyways so it wouldn't matter.

"Who knows? After all, the chances that it is you are likely." She says. I smile. She is right. It is me. And it will always be me.

Suddenly, I get an idea. If the stranger doesn't think I'm beautiful enough, then maybe the event will change his mind. Men do like when girls are crowned as most beautiful, right? It makes them see for who they truly are. As soon as I am deemed, he will stop thinking of Diana and he will await at my hand and foot. By the gods, maybe he'd stay here. I look at Lola.

"Do we have enough guards to keep an eye on him later today?" Her eyes widened.

"No, we don't actually. Everyone is going to the festival." She says. I smile as I imagine him by my side, chained up while we watch the performers.

"How about he joins us? That way we can keep an eye on him and enjoy the festival." I suggest.

She agrees and we discuss it. It was official, he was joining us. I walked away happily, knowing that he'd fall for me instantaneously. Now the only problem left was Diana herself. But it didn't matter, it wasn't like she was going.

 **Hey! Sorry that I haven't posted in a _really_ long time. With what's been happening at school, and between my parents, and basketball and dance practice, my mind is everywhere. But I finally got some time off and immediately started writing. So as a "I apologize gift", I wrote two chapters for you guys. Hope you enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 5

Diana

I closed the door to the cell, leaving the stranger behind. He was interesting. Can't understand why he was dressed up as a bat, but he was intimidating. I touched my hand that he grabbed. His hand was cold, freezing almost. I brush it off and leave without another thought in my mind.

I'm back up in the tower, where it is warm and the sun shines through in between the stony walls. Yet, my mind wanders back to the stranger whom I had met mere moments ago. It's like he had bewitched me. I sit on the wooden stool and sigh as I look at the clay city. Something is missing. I stare at the bell tower. The figure of myself is in it, looking out at the world. I grab a small container under the table. It is full of clay. I grab a piece of it, large enough to fill my palm.

I start sculpting. I don't know what I'm doing, I just close my eyes and feel it with my fingers. It's what I do with everything I sculpt. I imagine a picture of him in my mind. It's as clear as the water. His cape flows behind him, his ears are small and sharp. He walks with a smooth stride, like he's gliding around. And then he stops, and stands with his hands behind his back like a gentleman.

I open my eyes as the image start to fade away. I look at my hands. The mold of his body is perfect. His arms are behind his back, his ears are sharp and small. He is standing perfectly straight. I grab another piece of clay and form the cape that would drape over him. I make the mask that would cover the features of his face. But I don't put it on him. Instead, I leave it off to the side. I form the symbol on his chest and every other detail I could think of.

I stand back to look at my handiwork. I'll admit, I have grown when it comes to detail. It was almost as if it was a mini figure of him. I place him next to me, so that we are both looking out. I smile to myself and walk out, off to ring the afternoon bell.

 **I am slowly getting writers block so, yeah. But I'm trying. I hope you like this little short chapter. I just wanted to do something nice and sweet.**


	6. Chapter 6

Bruce

I followed Diana's advice and waited patiently. Eventually Diana came back down again. This time she was carrying a tray. She sits it down between me and her as some sort of barrier between us. We talk for a bit. She explains how her mistress wanted her to come down and give me something to eat. I thank her. We both start to eat.

"So tell me," She starts. "How did you get here?"

"My jet malfunctioned and I guess I crashed here." I explain.

"The barrier surrounding Themiscaryia probably has something to do with that. We don't use technology here. Or at least that I know of." I give her a questioning look. She brushes my look aside and continues to eat.

"Quick question, how much of a language can you learn in the span of six hours?"

"Most of it."

"Good, 'cause I was thinking that I would teach you how to speak Greek."

And she did. She started with the basics, hello, goodbye, how are you. Then I noticed how beautiful she spoke it. How the words rolled off her her tongue so easily. The more harder the word, the more easier it sounded from her. Compared to me, I struggled a bit. She giggled whenever I would mess up. Sometimes I would do it on purpose, just to make her laugh and repeat the word again despite me already knowing how to say it.

Despite her boldness on offering to teach me, she was very shy. She'd looked to the side whenever I would look her in the eye or move away when my hand accidentally brushes hers. She had an almost quiet, soft voice. I'll admit, she was cute. Very different from the one with the fiery orange hair. Almost like she liked to be isolated. Or at least socially.

"You're a very good teacher." I say. Diana looks up at me with her crystal eyes. This is the first time she hasn't looked away for more than five seconds.

"Thanks. You are a quick learner." She compliments.

"Yeah well in Gotham people are slower than slugs while the thieves are faster than rats so you have to be quick to survive in there." I say. She cocks an eyebrow.

"Gotham?" She asks.

"That's the city I'm from."

"Gotham," She repeats. "Sounds scary and dark." She says. I nod.

"It is, but there is always some light in there. It's rare, but if you look hard enough it's actually not that bad of a place." I say. She gives me a small smile.

"Do you like it there?" She asks.

"Of course. It's my home. There is a lot of people to protect but I wouldn't have it any other way." It was true. During my thinking time I sometimes realized how good my life really was. Out of all the things, the people in Gotham is what I care for the most. Especially people who truly know me like Alfred.

"What do you mean by home?" I am immediately confused. Everybody knows what home means. Why would she ask such a strange thing?

"Well," My voice trails off as I think of the right words to say. "It's all in how you see it. You may live in one place but your heart might be in another." She gives me a questioning look.

"Okay. Where do you live?" I ask her.

"Upstairs. I ring the bells." She says.

"And where do you live?"

"Themiscaryia."

"Exactly. This is your home. It's where you belong." Her smile fades and she shakes her head.

"No. No, I don't belong here." She almost whispers.

I almost ask her why when we hear someone rushing down. The woman who stood behind the one with the orange hair stares at us, like it's the most shocking thing in the world. Diana stands up. So do I. The woman drags her away by the arm off to the corner and starts talking in fast Greek. All I hear is words like 'festival', 'you', and 'late' while the rest of her words are slurred together. Diana nods and the woman hurries off. She looks at me.

"I have to go." She doesn't realize that she's speaking to me in Greek, but it's fine I understand her perfectly now. I nod.

"Bye stranger." She says. And she leaves me again. I'm smiling at how she calls me stranger. She is truly adorable.

An hour goes by before someone else comes down. This time, it is neither Diana nor the woman who pulled her away. Instead, it is three people. The tall woman with the orange hair, and two guards at her sides. She doesn't have her sword on her and the guards both have chains in their hands.

"Can I help you?" I say in the language I had learned not to long ago. Her eyes widened but she recovers quickly.

"Since the guards will be with me, you are going to be joining us in the festival." She says as the guards come closer to me and wrap the chains around my neck and cuff my hands. I felt like a dog. Only my owner wasn't a good one. She takes a step towards me and tugs on the chain on my neck until I can't breathe.

"Who taught you how to speak our language?" She asks.

"Diana." I barely say. She pulls tighter. I can see edges of dark green surrounding the brown in her eyes.

"Hmm. For a second I forgot she even had a tongue. Then again, she isn't really supposed to talk to anyone. Thank you though for the info. She will be punished." I know that this woman isn't good. Something dark and twisted grows inside her. I can feel it. She walks away from me but with the end of the chain wrapped around her hand.

"What punishment?" She turns around and gives me a smirk.

"Maybe this time she won't have a tongue." She tugs on the chain once like a leash and the guards follow her with me in front of them.

As we make our way out, there is a bunch of women and children. Young and old are mixed together. The adults are drinking while the children run around playing a game. No one gets in the way of the woman. They make room for us and go back to what they are doing. There is music, performers, dancing and confetti that is falling from nearby homes. But out of all of this, there is one thing I notice.

Their eyes.

Not one. Not a single one has blue eyes. There is every eye color except for blue. It was weird, the only person I have met with blue eyes was Diana. But as I make eye contact with everyone else, all I see is brown, green, gray, and black. Then I make the realization. She said that she didn't belong, that she couldn't fit in here. Was this why? Was it because she is the only girl with blue eyes?

I think about this until I bump into someone. As I'm about to apologize, the weirdest thing happens. Her face is covered by a hood. There are others who are wearing hoods, but she is the only one who's face is covered.

And yet under the hood I see the tiniest hint of crystal blue.


	7. Chapter 7

Artemis

I sit in the cushioned seat that was covered by a tent to keep the sun off of me. I tugged on the chain that was wrapped around my hand. The stranger stumbles forward, almost tripping. He shoots me a look and stands beside me, looking forward. I steal a glance at him and then smile to myself. He made the festival much more fun. It was like having a pet.

The crowd of people start to separate in half to make room for the performers. The jesters, gymnasts, groups of entertainers come through the crowd while festive music plays. There is confetti falling everywhere and I'm silently thanking the gods that the tent is up. I sigh in annoyance as people cheer while they performers sing their silly songs that make my ears bleed.

"I'm guessing you don't enjoy this." The stranger says suddenly, looking out at the crowd.

"No, I don't. These people are idiots, drunkards, and well, completely and utterly useless to me." I say.

"What about Diana? Is she just as useless as everyone else?" He sounded almost concerned. I scoffed. She was somewhat helpful, though just as stupid. But I won't tell him that. My pride is too grand for that.

"Eh, she doesn't meet my expectations, but I guess to the other low lives she is somewhat helpful." I say simply; in a tone that our conversation was over. There was silence between us for awhile.

"Why is Diana the only girl with blue eyes?" He turned to look at me. "I expected to see more blue eyed women."

"Because she is. You should know that she is different from other girls. For the kingdom's safety, there is a limit to how many women would have blue eyes." I answer.

My mind jolted back to that night when I killed Hipployta. I remember when Diana first opened her eyes. Two bright, big, crystal eyes. Yes, she was the only girl with blue eyes. Yes, she still is. But one day, I will kill her. And I have a feeling that it will be sometime soon. The same dark, twisted feeling from that night came back to me.

"What's the limit?" He asks with a questioned look. I can tell through the white lenses that he is tense. I give him a dark look.

"One."

 **I hope that ending made you feel tense reading it like how it made me tense when I was writing it. Anyways, I haven't been posting because I'm in a competition to read my graduation speech and I'm in the top three. So It's been pretty tense. Glad you enjoyed reading. Happy Easter!**


	8. Chapter 8

Diana

The crowd cheers around me. They sing along with the performers. I feel my feet move with the crowd. The two sides merged together and follow the performers. It was hard not to sing along. The songs seemed so familiar, I used to spend hours singing along up on the balcony above. They never seemed to get old. But these songs, they were much different from the ones I listened to. Maybe because I was there, with them.

I struggle to keep my hood on as the crowd dances along. I didn't want anyone to see my face, so I backed away until I was at the end of the crowd, just following on their heels. I watch from afar as I see the performers go wild with their acts. I laugh at the site of them. Then my breath hitches as I feel a cold gust of wind surge through me. I turned reluctantly around.

Artemis watches the crowd in disgust and my eyes follow the chain that is in her hand that led to the stranger's neck. But he stands tall as if he didn't notice how he was bound to Artemis like a dog. I feel his eyes burn into mine as he looks at me. I turn away and catch up to the rest of the crowd, who are clapping to the music.

But I know that his eyes are still on me. I feel them.

I turn around one last time and glare at Artemis. I know she meant well, but I couldn't help but feel that she was the reason I was who I grew up to be. Being outside was good, not cooped up in a damn bell tower for twenty years. I'm sure she wouldn't mind me showing my face around, as long as I was protected. I turned back around and caught up with the crowd, this time being the center of it all, not at the ends. She made me watch from afar as everyone else below me had fun.

I was _done_ watching from afar.

I hesitantly let my hood fall back and shook out my hair from under my cloak. I started to dance with the others, twirling around in a frenzy. I laugh and sing along with the others, clapping my hands together happily as I watch a woman walk up onto the built stage that lay in front of Artemis's throne. She's very pretty, with rich dark brown hair and even darker skin that made her green eyes pop out.

"Before this festival can truly get started, it has to claim a queen. So, how about we claim our queen?" She said. The crowd cheers around me. My eyes never leave the woman's. One by one, people drag others to the stage. The woman points at someone near me. That is until I feel myself being dragged onto the stage that I realize that it was me that she pointed at. I find myself standing at the end of a line of drunken women. The women and children shout each time a woman from the line raises her hand. When the woman with the green eyes stands besides me, I raise my hand. My eardrums start to ring as the crowd screams. The line of girls leave until it is only me on the stage with the woman. She places a crown of flowers on my head and tells me to smile and wave.

"My fellow Amazons, our Queen is here." The woman said, bowing down. I laugh. Out of the corner of my eye I see Artemis glare angrily at me. She leans to the side and says something to the guard standing next to her. I don't pay mind to it, I'm too busy staring at the stranger. I can see a wry smirk on his face. I feel myself go red, so I turn around to face the crowd. The guards in front of the stage look up at me with smirks that mocked me. I raise an eyebrow.

Suddenly I feel my feet join together as I fall onto my back. I feel the rope being tied around my ankles as the woman with the rich brown hair and popping green eyes holds my hands above me. She smirks at me as all the alarms inside my head go off. The entire crowd is laughing at me as I struggle against the guards who hold me down as the woman lifts me up so I'm kneeling. She painfully ties my hands behind my back. The rope digs into my skin painfully. I feel the cool air on my back as my cloak is removed. I feel so exposed as everyone laughs. I glance back and see the woman with the green eyes holding a whip with a devilish smile that would make Hades proud. My cries of pain fill the silent crowd. The crack of the whip and the cheer and laughter of the crowd. Tears flow from my eyes. There was only a few times in which Artemis punished me, but never like this. I would be chained up, wouldn't eat or drink for at least two days. I looked at Artemis with a pleading look. She brushed my look aside. I realize how wrong I was for ever going outside. I should have listened to Artemis.

It isn't until the pain is just stinging and I can't hear the cracking of the whip, that I notice the crowd is dead silent. I turned a bit to the side. The woman with the green eyes is staring at someone in shocked. She looks almost scared, terrified even. The crowd isn't staring at me anymore. Instead the follow the eyes of someone, someone who was walking toward me. Footsteps that were in long strides and heavy. I could feel the person kneel beside me, placing a gentle hand on my back.

"Diana," The stranger said. "I'm here. No one is going to hurt you. I promise." I look at him with teary eyes. He wipes away a tear with a gloved hand. It was a gentle touch. Even if his face was covered, it was easy to see the concern. He takes out what looks like a piece of metal in the shape of a bat. He cuts the rope and the circulation comes back. I rub my wrists as marks from the rope started to become blue and purple. He helps me up before detaching his cape and wrapping me in it. I feel protected with his arms around me.

"Man." A voice says. We both turn to face Artemis, who is standing with a face of anger. I avoid her gaze while the stranger pulls me a bit closer to him. "Please remove yourself from the stage. We all are trying to enjoy ourselves."

"Of course," He answers. "But after I get this girl's wounds treated." Artemis rolls her eyes, clearly upset about his concern over me.

"She is fine. She will heal in a couple of days. Besides, it is rude to ruin fun of Amazons." She crosses her arms. He scowls at her with a glare that almost could scare me.

"How could you say that about someone who has done nothing but served you? It would make sense for her to be crowned as queen. She shouldn't be whipped for being more lovelier than you ever would." The crowd gasps and murmurs spread across it. Artemis's lips turn into a sneer. She orders for the guards to arrest him, in which he leans in close to me.

"I'll see you around Princess." He whispers with a smirk. And in a second, he's disappeared; the guards all going in different directions to look for him. I wrap his cape tighter around me as I see Artemis walk up to me with an angry look on her face. I look down.

"I'm sorry." I barely say. "I should have obeyed you."

"I want you to leave Diana." She says. "Leave, and maybe I wont think about cutting off your tongue." I turn around and walk toward the bell tower avoiding the angry gazes of everyone around me. I shut the door behind me and bolt up the steps of the tower. I sit at the stool looking out at the clay city that I worked so hard to build.

I used to be unknown. Barely anyone had even heard of my name. And technically, I'm the only one of my 'kind'. When I grew up I wished to be known by other people. I dreamed of having friends outside of Alexa, Lacy, even Lola. I just wished to be normal. I wasn't expecting for this day to go so wrong. I pulled the stranger's cape around my more, almost waiting for it to envelop me so I would disappear.

Now everyone knew my name.

 **Everyone must hate me so much. I lost like my motivation to write, along with problems piling up to the point where I never had times. I don't know maybe I should stop complaining. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Bruce

I shut the doors of the bell tower behind me and sigh. I press my back against the door to catch my breath. My anger was still raging inside of me. I couldn't get the images of Diana being whipped in front of everyone out of my head. She didn't deserve that. No one as innocent as her should ever go through that. I quietly walk through the halls of the tower. Candles are lit everywhere, columns with Greek designs on them. I look at them, studying the pictures and forming the story in my mind. Until I hear a soft step behind me. My reflexes kick in and I find myself facing Diana with a Batarang pressed against her neck. My cape is neatly folded on her arm and her hair is draped around her shoulders. She doesn't look scared, just confused. I let her go quickly.

"What are you doing here? If Artemis finds you here she'll kill you." I didn't know why she was concerned for my well being. I can see through her hair how the marks were showing on the side of her arm.

"I'm not the one you should be worrying about. You just got whipped and you're worrying about me." She looks off to the side. She shrugs but winces instead.

"I'm fine. I'll heal in a couple of days. It just stings." I cross my arms. She sighs and hands me my cape, in which I attach it to me once more. She opens her mouth to say something before the doors of the bell tower open.

"I'm impressed Diana, you found the stranger. Maybe I won't cut off your tongue. Now, arrest him and bring him over to me." Diana curses under her breath before whispering something to me.

"Say you are under the protection of the gods." She whispered.

"Today Diana." The tall woman ordered. Diana reluctantly turned around. She straightened up, her head was held up high.

"I can't Mistress. He claimed to be under the protection of the gods." The tall woman walked forward with hands on her hips. She scowled.

"Really? What god?" She asks. Diana looks at me with a look to say something.

"Zeus himself." I say. Diana rolls her eyes and the corner of her mouth moves up in a smirk. Yet the tall woman, eyes widened a slight bit and her hands slip off her hips. She looks genuinely scared, just forcing it back.

"Just because you are under the protection of the gods doesn't mean anything. Even if it is the king himself." Diana's eyes widened slightly at the tall woman's words before narrowing them, an impressive Bat glare if I'm being honest. The tall woman just stares at me, her eyes gazing at every inch of my body and I feel uncomfortable.

"If you are actually under the protection of the gods, then we'll arrest you outside." She grabs my arm and tries to drag me with her. But an older woman, the one who talked to Diana in fast Greek, stepped in front of me with a hard look on her face.

"Artemis," She stands up with her head high. "We've discussed this. And I do not think we need to talk about it again, considering _she_ is here."

Artemis glances at Diana before looking at me up and down once more then leaving. I noticed her eyes linger on one specific part of me and the uncomfortable feeling returns. The woman who speaks fast Greek says something to Diana, who gives me one last look before leaving herself. The woman gives me a glare before walking off, leaving me alone once more. I make the assumption that women have a secret language they use that men can't understand, only to leave us confused. One more reason to not to be in a relationship.

I feel my arms suddenly be pinned behind me and my wrists being twisted roughly. I bite my lip and squeeze my eyes shut in pain. I feel a hand run up my chest and I look to the side. Artemis gives me a devilish smile. She tilts my head towards her so that her lips brush mine.

"Your scent is incredible. Personally, I feel as if we could have some serious fun together. What do you say, stranger?" She says seductively.

"Not going to happen. I don't know about you, but I'm not into creepy girls like you. Or red heads for that matter." I say. She gives me a frown. But she smiles again.

"No worries. I have ways of convincing you. Like right now. You see, if you don't want to give me what I want, then you shouldn't try to leave the bell tower. There are guards outside with bows ready." She kisses me quickly before letting me go. I wipe my mouth as she leaves. When I open the door to peek out, I see bows pointed at me. I close the door quickly and curse loudly.

"Watch your mouth." Someone says sternly. I look up to see the woman who defended me. I apologized. She rolls her eyes as she sits to sharpen a sword with a stone.

"You are allowed to walk around. But it doesn't mean I'm okay with your kind. I only protected you because Diana looked terrified for you. I care about that girl and if you dare try to hurt her I will see to it personally that you will suffer for eternity with Hades." She says. I nod before walking off, my eyes set on a case of stairs. I couldn't believe that someone just threatened to condemn me to hell. It wouldn't be the first time, but it got under my skin much more than what the police used to say when they had a kill order for me.

My eyes never leave the stairs and as I take the first step, I see a shadow on the wall leaving quickly. The orange glow from the torch was all that was left. I cautiously went up the steps to follow the shadow. At the edge, I see a glimpse of raven hair. A dark figure runs up the another set of steps almost silently. But I can still hear her soft steps. I give a small smile to myself before going after her. I silently make my way up the same steps. She's hunched over a table. A table with a clay city on it. I casually walk up to her and stand beside her, as I see her carefully paint a figure. I squint to get a better look at it. When I see the bat symbol on the chest I give a low chuckle. She jumps slightly. She gives me a look when she notices me.

"By the gods I could have killed you in so many ways with this paintbrush." She says startled. I give her a smirk. She takes a deep breath.

"What are you doing here? I thought you left." She said, putting the little figure of me down but trying hard not to make it noticeable that it actually was me. I leaned against the table.

"Can't. Now that I've said I was under the protection of the gods, I can't go out unless I feel like having a death wish." I explained, not bothering to mention what Artemis had really said. She smirks before pinning a loose raven curl behind her ear.

"Hey, she could have killed you if it wasn't for me and my fantastic idea." She says knowingly. I cross my arms.

"True, but now I can't leave because of it." I point out. She shrugs before sitting down on a nearby stool.

"It isn't so bad in here. Take it from the girl who's been in here for twenty years of her life." She says.

"You've been in here for twenty years? Why?" I ask, a bit shocked at the fact. She seemed to fit in so well with everyone at the festival, before she was whipped. She gives me a small smile before running a hand through her hair. I didn't know why, but I felt so compelled to reach out and touch it. But I kept my arms crossed.

"If you lived here, wouldn't you want someone like me to stay isolated?" She asks as if it was stupid to ask her that. I shake my head.

"At the festival you fit in with everyone else so well. Dancing, singing, clapping. I didn't know you were in this place for twenty years." She shrugs once again at my words before standing up.

"Well, we know what happened after that. That's why I stay in here. To avoid situations like that." She says, picking up little me once more and finishing the symbol. Her shoulders slumped a bit at the thought.

"So Artemis keeps you in here to keep you safe?" I say. She shakes her head. "No, she does it to keep everyone else safe." She says quickly. I'm about to say something but she smiles and interrupts me.

"So tell me, what color are your eyes?" She says grabbing a small box off to the side, the sudden change in subject caught me a bit off guard.

"Blue." I say. She raises an eyebrow at me. "I didn't know that even mortals could have such an evil color too. What shade?" She said. While I wanted to ask why it was an evil color, but I could tell from her fake smile that she really didn't want to talk about it.

"Like a dark ocean blue." I say. She nods before opening the small box, which consisted of small jars of paint. She pulls out the smallest jar, which had dark blue. She turns to me again.

"Please don't tell me your hair is blond or brown. There is too many of those on this island and I won't be getting more until next month." She says with a playful smile. I shake my head. "Black." I say.

"Jet black or raven?" She asks, taking out the jar of black paint. "Jet black." I answer. She gives a serene smile before painting the small figure. She seemed so focused on my eyes, biting her lip when it came to my eyes. She sets down her paintbrush, sighs, and turns to face me.

"I need you to take off your mask." I give her a glare, but she isn't fazed by it. Instead, she stands up and gets close to me.

"I don't think you should." I say. She was so close to me that when she gave a smile I noticed her nose scrunched a bit up and the red undertones of her lips.

"Nobody's eyes is just one color, so I have to know." She said quietly. She places her hands on the sides of my face. Her touch warms me and I feel heat rising to my cheeks. She pulls it off and I hold my breath. She giggles a little bit.

"I don't see why you have to hide your face. You are very pretty." She said, walking away from me and sitting back down, bringing out a jar of dark green. "That is the term you use in Man's world, correct?"

I chuckle. "For women it's pretty. For males it's handsome." I explain. She nods in understanding, finishing her painting. She sets down her paintbrush and smiles proudly.

"Well stranger, you are very handsome." She compliments. I hold down the blush that was coming on. She holds up the figure of me and if I was being honest, it did look like me. I nod, impressed. She sets it beside a tiny figure of herself in the bell tower.

"Is this what you do in your spare time? You just create the city?" I say touching the pieces of glued glass the looked like the pavement in the square. She nodded.

"I finish my chores rather early, so I work on this. It helps me keep up with everyone else." She explains. "It's incredible." I say.

I look around at her room. It was dark, with the bells looming over collecting dust. I felt bad, she had to be surrounded by nothing but stone walls and giant unused bells that collected dust. Especially for twenty years of her life. I was lucky enough to have Dick and Alfred in my life. I had someone to talk to while Diana had no one.

"I know this place doesn't look really nice, but I'll show the best part of this place." She said, reading my mind. She stands up and motions me to follow her. She leads me to another set of stairs, leading to the roof. The view overlooks the entire island, with the sea shimmering against the sunset. It looked as if it was a scene from a movie. I lay down beside her on the roof.

"This is probably the best view I've ever seen. And I live right by the ocean on a cliff." I said.

"You can keep seeing it if you want. Since you can't leave anyways." She suggested. I sat up.

"I can't stay." I said, images of home appearing in my mind. "I have to get back to my father and my son." She sat up.

"And your wife?" My eyes widened at her question. I shake my head. "I'm not married. I adopted him." She nods her head in understanding.

"So your father and your son, do they love you?" I look at her. "I'm pretty positive." I answer with a questionable look.

"Even with the color of your eyes?" I raise an eyebrow. "Yes. What's wrong with blue?" She bites her lip.

"It's an evil color, it drives people away from you. Or at least that's what happened to me."

"I don't think you should hate it. It's like saying you hate yourself, especially since you have blue eyes." She looks down sadly.

"Artemis told me it was the reason my mother left me on the steps of the tower. She said she watched her jump into the sea because she didn't want to have a daughter like me." Without thinking, my hand covers her own. I avoid her gaze, but keep my hand over hers.

"What's so wrong with it anyways?"

"Women with blue eyes back then saw the goodness in men. And after the war, they were all gone. Ever since then it's been considered to be an evil color. So when I was born, Artemis decided to hide me from everyone else. If you haven't noticed already, I'm considered the monster of the bell tower here."

"Now that is a lie."

"What is?"

"You being a monster." I say. "I'm good at reading people, so I know you aren't a monster. You're shy, kind, and have a very impressive appetite." She smiles.

"How do you know that?" She asks. "I have my ways. Now, do you think I'm a monster?" I ask.

"No, of course not. You are too pretty for that." She said I chuckled.

"The term is handsome Princess."

"Same difference stranger."


	10. Chapter 10

Artemis

I pace the floor in my chambers as Lola sits in a chair, annoyingly tapping her foot against the marble floor. I give her a glare and she stops, crossing her legs and shaking her leg instead. She looks genuinely nervous, as if I was going to ask her a question and get an answer that I wouldn't want to hear. I pull on the edge of my skin-tight dress, to keep it from rising up my thighs.

"I want you to spy on him." I tell Lola. She raises her eyes from the floor.

"For what? I think it's better if we just kill him. That way he won't reveal the location to others." She explains. I scoff.

"Who cares of this place? Besides, if Man's world has creatures like the stranger, then I would let him tell the location." I say with a smile. She stands up, disgusted at my words. I shrug.

"Artemis, this is a place for women to be dominant. We will not let any man tread on the sad or soil of this island." I raise my head and walk toward her. Unlike her daughter, she is short. But to others she is still intimidating, due to her background of being in the wars.

"Lola, you must learn how to be selfish once in a while. It's annoying when you are being yourself." Her eyes narrow and she crosses her arms.

"You have always been a selfish brat. You murdered the queen and have locked up the princess for over twenty years." I roll my eyes.

"She didn't want to give up the child. It's her own fault."

"But you slit her throat. You could have chosen to let that poor woman go."

"She committed a crime."

"She was trying to save her baby from death! Your mother would've done the same to protect you. Why if she saw what you've become-"

My hands grip her throat tightly before I launch her back, her body coming in contact with my glass mirror the shards piercing into her skin and she falls to the ground. She struggles to get up but I press my foot down on her back and she slumps back down with a grunt. I give her a smile as I kneel down.

"I want you to spy on him, learn what he likes, what gets his heart racing. And when I've learned enough, you will bring him to me. When I am satisfied, he will leave, tell all men in Man's world our location, and all the men will be mine."

That twisted feeling in my stomach returns as it did twenty years ago, and I let it envelope me. I let it seep through my body, into my soul. I feel so powerful, like not even Zeus could even win a fight against me. She glares at me, and I think she broke her nose when she landed on the floor because I can see broken bone.

"That man will be the last one to ever walk the island. No other man shall find this place as long as I live." She whispers. I turn my head slightly to the side with a soft smile.

"Well we can fix that, can't we?" I say sweetly as I unsheathe my dagger from under my dress.

My hand raises slowly and her eyes widen before the door flies open and I quickly stand up with the knife behind my back. Cassia's eyes widens at the view before her. She looks disoriented, like everything in her mind is a big forest, where nothing could never be found. She looks at Lola before looking back at me. And knowing me, she doesn't question the issue before her.

"The man, he has escaped."

"What do you mean escaped?"

"I went inside and checked all of the bell tower. He is gone." I scream in anger. She bites her lip. "There is also one more thing."

"And what would that be?"

"The bell ringer is gone as well." My eyes widen. I turn to Lola. She looks shocked as well.

"Well, looks like she obviously hasn't learned her lesson." I say, pushing Cassia aside. "Send guards to look for them."


	11. Chapter 11

Diana

I bite my lip in excitement as I stroll through the forest along side the stranger. I've always seen the forest from afar, and while I always thought it was just one simple shade of green, but really it was more colorful. The stranger gives me a glance as I take light steps compared to his long, heavy strides. I hold my hands behind my back and start to hum.

"You're quite cheerful." The stranger says.

"Well, I like to believe I have a reason to be. If you were locked away for twenty years of your life, wouldn't you be cheerful to be outside?" I ask. He shrugs.

"I mean, I've been alone for thirty-one years of my life until my son. I think that's as isolated as you can get." He explains. I stop walking.

"How can you still be alone even though you're allowed to go outside?" I asked. He stops walking. He looks at me.

"It doesn't really matter if you allowed to outside or not." He says, starting to walk again. "It all really depends on social interaction. I prefer to be alone, so I've been isolated all my life. You seem much more social, so you prefer to be out more. It's called introvert and extrovert." He explains. I nod my head in understanding.

"So if you like being alone, why did you bring me along?" He sighs and stops walking.

"You're coming with me." He says. I look at him. "Look, the chances of Artemis and everyone else treating you like a normal person after I'm gone are low. If you come with me, you can live with me and my son and we'll figure it out from there." I bite my lip. What made his world different than mine?

"You promise? If I go with you, no one will judge me for who I am? Or the color of my eyes?" I ask with a hint of desperation in my voice. He nods. I glare at him, waiting for him to say it instead of giving me a minor gesture. He doesn't because he already knows the answer. We stay silent and just listen to each other's footsteps. I smile to myself as I think of something to say.

"You should ask me for dinner first before telling me to come home with you." I say jokingly. I glance at the stranger, who is shaking his head with a bright smile and with a slight blush forming on his cheeks as he quietly chuckled to himself. It seemed so unlike him to smile, his bright smile contrasted against the dark color of his suit.

"You know stranger, smiling really does suit you. You should do it more often." I complimented. He looked at me strangely with a smirk.

"Are you flirting with me Princess?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow. I gave him a smile and shrugged, considering it.

"Well, you aren't half bad to look at." I admitted. I looked back at him again at his now red face. "Can you really blame me for it?" He shook his head.

"No, I suppose not."

We continue to talk as we walk through the forest. I follow him into a clearing, and my eyes settled on a crashed chunk of metal that was smoking. I turn my head to the side in confusion. The front of what he called a "jet" was completely destroyed. One of its large wings was sticking abruptly out while other had sliced deep into the ground, making impossible to move. But what struck me as the most confusing part was how he made it out alive with just a deep cut on his arm. His legs should have been crushed from the way the front of it looked.

"How the Hades did you get out there alive?" I ask as he walks toward.

"I guess I got lucky. Happens a lot." He replied digging through the seat of the jet. He looked back at me and held up a long, sharp object. "Want to help me?" I nodded and took the object.

"So what exactly are we doing?" I say, inspecting the thing that could be used as a weapon.

"Well, you're going to fit through that hole because I can't." He explains, pointing at the one that was underneath a panel of blinking buttons. I raise an eyebrow but ultimately decide to shut up and go in. Once I'm in, I flip over onto my back. "You see those little round things on that panel? I need you to take those out and take off the covering." I follow his instructions until I come to threads strung together.

"Okay, what now?"

"I need you to cut the wires in a specific order, red, yellow, black, green, and blue." He says, handing me a different object. It was a blade that was slanted so that one end was at sharp point. I looked back at the wires and sighed. There was more than one of those colors.

"Stranger, there is more than one wire of those colors." I heard him chuckle at my comment.

"I just need it in that order; you can cut any one that you want. And I have a name Princess." I move my head so I'm able to see him.

"What is it? Ben?" I ask sarcastically. He rolls his ocean eyes with a smile.

"It's Bruce." I giggle. "I'm still calling you stranger." I say, going back to the wires. I hear him leave his spot and walk around to the other side. I cut the last wire and get out of the hole. I peer over the crushed side to see Bruce fiddling with something else.

"I finished." I say. He looks up at me and I die a little on the inside because there is a streak of black across his cheek and it he looked like a child after playing in the mud. I continue to stare at him, blocking out any noises, including his voice. He snaps his fingers and I jump as I'm taken out my mind. "I'm sorry what?" I say.

"I asked you to see if there's a red light that isn't blinking on the panel." He repeated, even though it was the first time I heard him say it. I nod and go back to the panel of blinking buttons to hide my embarrassment. I skim over each row until I see a red one that isn't blinking. I turn back to tell Bruce, but he isn't there anymore.

I look around to try and find him, but he's gone. I call out his name once. Then twice. Then three times. My stomach turns inside out and worry floods over me. I can't shake off the uneasy feeling. I open my mouth to call out his name once more, but before I can, a hand covers my mouth.

And it suddenly turns black.

* * *

 **I know I've been MIA for awhile now. But honestly I've been so busy that I haven't been able to do anything and because I had to get a new computer. I also just didn't feel like writing. But I'm back now, I promise. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

Bruce

I groan as a sash is removed from my eyes. There is a pressing weight on my abdomen and I struggle to break free from the chains that bound my wrists and ankles. I pull at the chains and the posts of the bed moans in pain. I look up and see Artemis, twirling the sash around her finger. There are shards of glass surrounding me, poking at my sides.

"I see your hospitality has improved." I say sarcastically. I tug at the chains once more. "Although the chains were a bit much, don't you think?"

"The chains aren't for your mere pleasure, but for mine." She said, running her hands up and down my chest. I shift against the movement and a shard of glass rips through the Kevlar of my suit. I wince. She smirks.

"Are you going to torture me?" I ask. She shakes her head.

"I thought we could do something more fun." She tilted her head to the side. "Well, fun for me at least." I raised an eyebrow. She had reminded me so much of Selina, except Selina didn't dig her nails into my skin.

"You're going to rape me?" I asked. She frowns.

"That is such an appalling word, don't you think? Just think of this, you are doing me a favor by giving me pleasure."

"I'm going to take that as a yes." I stated. She scowls.

"Isn't this what you men call on your world, 'freaky'?"

"It's freaky, just not the good kind of freaky." I said. She rolled her eyes.

"Enough from you." She said, stuffing the sash into my mouth. I pulled at the chains once more.

Fortunately, someone came in before she began her descent on me. It was the fast talking woman. She cleared her throat. Artemis sat up with a groan. I look at the woman with a desperate look. The woman stepped inside and stood tall.

"Your presence is needed." She said. Artemis glanced at her.

"Lola, you're a big girl. I think you can handle it." She raked her nails across my skin once more. I winced. She smirked. "Besides, I'm currently busy."

Lola cleared her throat once more, earning a glare from the twisted woman on top of me. Still, Lola seemed determined. With a huff, Artemis got off of me. I gasped for air, almost choking on the sash. She turned and glared at me. I said something, which turned out to be muffled noises. She turned back to Lola.

"A group of civilians found skeletal remains of one of our own by the shore." Lola said. Artemis crossed her arms.

"It could have been one of our sisters from the war." She shrugged. Lola shook her head.

"It isn't. They found the coat of arms ring on the body. The ring that only the _queen_ would wear." Lola explained. From where I lay I see Artemis's eyes widen. She quickly rushes out of the room, making a sharp turn to the left.

Lola walked up to the bed, ripping the chains with her bare hands. I raised a brow before pulling out the sash from my mouth. I sat up after she had set free both of my wrists and had begun to free my ankles. I rubbed my wrists and gave her a nod in thanks. She walked to the door, motioning me to follow.

In broad daylight, we hid in the shadows of buildings until we were able to get inside the bell tower. Instinctively, I head for the staircase that led to Diana. Lola pulls me back down from the first step and glares at me. I start to believe that the island full of women had a thing for glaring at one another.

"You can't tell Diana what you just heard." She warned.

"What? That Artemis killed her mother? That she killed the queen?" Lola's eyes widened. She opens her mouth to ask how I knew. I cut her off. "Diana told me her mother had jumped into the sea because she didn't want her. And if you found a body on the shore, it could have only meant one thing. You also said that the coat of arms ring was only worn by the queen and Artemis reacted in a way that proves that she killed the queen." I explained.

Lola crossed her arms. "How were you able to figure that out so quickly?" I shrugged.

"I'm Batman."

She rolled her eyes and pushed me toward the stairs. I look back at her, only to find her gone. I look back at the staircase and shake off the sudden chill. I went up, looking behind me one more time to see if Lola was hiding behind a pillar.

"So that's what that feels like." I whispered. "That's rude."

I peered around the corner to see Diana in her usual spot in front of the clay city. I walked toward her. She isn't working on anything, and it looks like she's looking down at her hands. Her hands are covered in scratches.

"Diana? Are you okay?" I asked, kneeling down. She turned to me.

There was scratches on her face, yet her smile still radiated through it. I refrained the urge to reach out and touch her face, to somehow make her feel better. Instead, I give her a smirk. My smirk fades.

"Your mistress is a crazy bitch." I tell her. She giggles.

"I have no idea what that means." She said. I take her hand in my own.

"Don't worry about it." I reassured. She gave me a slight nod. After a long pause, she sighs and sits up straight.

"So what happened with you? I got rocks thrown at me as my punishment." She said. The worst part, she sounded like it was normal.

"How can you say that so calmly?"

She shrugged with a grin. "Happened before when I was little. Sometimes it hurts so much that you just stop feeling the pain at all."

"Well, Artemis attempted to rape me." Her eyes widened. I nodded. "I was chained up to, I'm assuming, her bed. She gagged me and every time I moved there was glass that would stab into me."

"Were you not scared?" I shook my head.

"I was. But it has always been a thing for me in dire situations to act extremely calm." She smirked. She stood and took a glance at the stairwell I had just came from. I stand up.

She grabbed my hand, leading me to the second stairwell that led to the rooftop of the tower. "You have to go. It's best if you leave now." I don't let go.

"What about you?"

She shakes her head. "I'll just stay here. There is no way I'm going to be able to leave anyway. You should just go back to your son and father. I'll be okay." I frowned.

"I wish I could help you." I said quietly. She gave me a small smile.

"Bruce, that was the first time I had ever been in the forest. You've helped me, even if I was only outside for a couple of hours." She said. The corners of my mouth twitched upward. She gives me a kiss on the cheek before pushing me out of the door. With a sigh, I leave for the forest.

* * *

 **I'm betting that everyone wants to kill me right now. But I have been working on my submissions for the Wonderbat Milestones. I hope to get those done because it will be the first time I will be participating in the event.**


	13. Chapter 13

Artemis

I stare at the bones laid before me. I remained stoic, but my eyes never leave the coat of arms ring that had rested on a bony finger. I knew I had to be careful, one mistake in my words and my reign as queen would be over quickly. Cassia stood by, nervous like she usually was, but confident.

"The body was found at the shore. And we have reason to believe that it once was the queen." A civilian said, explaining what had happened. I crossed my arms.

"I trust your judgment. But why come to me as if she was still alive?" The civilian looked at their companion.

"We believe that the queen was killed." The other said. I breathed in deeply. Through the corner of my eye, I see Cassia raise an eyebrow at me. I glare at her and she turns away.

"The queen committed suicide twenty years ago. Why would you believe she was killed?" I asked.

The first civilian held up the hand with the ring. "Wouldn't she have left the ring if she killed herself? Since the princess is next line, it would only be right to leave the ring for her." She explained.

I walked toward the carcass, taking the ring off of the hand and slipping it on my finger. I examine the ring, looking at it in different angles. I smile. The two civilians and Cassia stare at me in shock. I take the ring off of my finger.

"The queen killed herself because of the princess. She wouldn't have left the ring for her." I tell them. "Now, remove this. It's wetting my floor."

I walk away. Cassia follows with her head down. I head back to my room, excited to get back to the creature that waited for my arrival. My smile fades at the sight of an empty bed. Broken chains lay on top of the shards of glass. I walk up to the bed, reading the word the glass had formed.

 _Bitch._

I scowl. I turn to Cassia. "Where's Lola?" She shrugged. "Get my horse ready." She nods.

I head up the bell tower. I find Diana in front of the clay city she had spent twenty years building. I clear my throat and she jolts up from her seat. The scratches on her face satisfy me. I enjoy seeing her in pain.

"Mistress." She greets, bowing her head.

"I don't know if you've heard, but the man has escaped again. Now, I'm sure you've learned your lesson by now. Did you have anything to do with helping him?" She shook her head.

"No, of course not."

I step closer to the clay city. My fingers glide across the glued shards of glass. My eyes go up the make shift bell tower, settling on the two figures on the balcony. I grab the figure of the man and hold it up. She swallows. From behind my back, I unsheathe my dagger and stab into the figure. The blade digs in deep into the bat symbol painted on its chest. Diana gasps but doesn't stop me. I smirk.

"If he comes back, you will tell me. Understand?" She nods.

I look back at the city. I raised my fist, slamming it down on the table. The table snaps in two, the city crumbling into pieces. Diana remains quiet, stunned. I pull the figure off of my blade, dropping it into the mess. She stares at the figure with a small frown.

"Clean this up." I tell her, leaving.

That night, I go to every home, asking civilians if they had seen the man. So far, I hadn't had any success. With just Cassia at my side, we head to Lola's home. Lola doesn't appreciate being accused of releasing the man.

"I am putting you and your daughter under house arrest until you are proven not guilty." I say. Lola scoffs.

"With what proof?" She yelled.

I turn and glare at her. She crosses her arms. I leave her small home, seeing a small crowd of women and children grouping together to observe the situation. I shut the door behind me, grabbing the lit torch that was held up outside of her home. I grab Cassia's spear, placing the spear in front of the door, locking them in. I hand the torch to Cassia.

"Burn it." Her eyes widened.

"Lola is an important warrior. Not to mention she is a dear friend to me. I'm not going to murder her and her daughter in their own home." She snaps. I hold my head up high. The dark twisted feeling returns in the pit of my stomach. My anger rises.

"Cassia," I seethe. "You seem to follow orders better when you're nervous."

"I was trained to protect others, not to kill our own with no reason." I walk up to her. My eyes narrowed.

"Then you are no use to me."

Blood gushes over my clothes as Cassia gags, holding her throat. There are screams behind me. The shrieks and cries of children fill the night. I grab the torch from her hands before she falls face forward on the ground. I turn to the crowd of horrified civilians. I smirk and throw the torch onto the rooftop of the home.

The home erupts in flames and screams rise over the crackling of the fire. I watch, taking a step back. I mount my horse. Screams from Lola and Alexa come from inside. A black shadow runs forward and jumps through the window, entering the burned home. The shadow kicks the door open, letting Alexa and Lola free. The man glares at me and I just smile.

"Very admirable. But it would've been better to leave them to burn." I said. He grabs an object from his belt and sneers.

"You're sick." He says. I nod. I then shrug.

"I'm even better in bed." I say. He scoffs in disgust. He throws the object, spooking my horse. The horse kicks up, making me fall off. I land in Cassia's pool of blood. He grabs the horse's reigns, mounting it as it runs. Lola and Alexa get out of his way. I quickly swipe the bow and arrows from Cassia's lifeless body. I've always been good at archery, so it's easier for me to shoot at long distances.

I run up, pulling the arrow back as the horse runs across the stone bridge. I release, hitting the shadow in the back. He yells, and his body falls to the raging river below that separates the island into two parts. I turn back to the crowd of people and Alexa and Lola.

"Let his body rot. Poseidon can feast on him. And if any of you speak of this and attempt to rebel, I will kill you all." I threaten.

I walk back to the palace on foot. As the guards and servants question the blood, I pass it off as a deadly hunt. Before this night, the twisted feeling only lingered in my stomach. Before I pacified my desire for the warmth of blood surrounding my body. But as I entered the bathing pool and watched the water turn red, my lip curled and I released the desires. There was no power stronger that could stop my thirst.


	14. Chapter 14

Diana

I pick up the pieces of the crumbled city. The brush cleans up the small shattered pieces, piling them up onto the thin paper that waited in my hand. I sniffed, a depressed sigh escaping from my lips. I cried for what seemed like hours, only to realize that only mere minutes had passed by. I stare at the two figures on the ground. I set down the thin paper and the brush beside me, picking up the objects that had caught my attention. I stare at the stranger with the large slit in the center of its chest, the bat spitting in half. I tossed it aside, cradling the second figure. Broken in half, my eyes stare back at me.

My heart swelled with pain as tears brimmed my eyes. Is this what the death of a loved one felt like? The feeling of sadness and heartbreak. I have never known the pain to lose something that had meant so much to me, yet at this moment I picked up the pieces of my life. I mumbled curses under my breath, chastising myself for being foolish enough to believe that I could change my life, to somehow make it better.

I whipped the two broken pieces against the wall, the thud echoing through the room. I gripped the edges of my dress, the fabric bunching up in my hands. My head shoots up at a loud thud against the door leading to the rooftop. I stand up quickly and head to the door, only to step back in surprise when I see Lola almost kick the door down with the stranger clinging on to Alexa.

"What happened?" I asked, helping Alexa lay Bruce down on top of my bed, which was a only a few layers of thick blankets and a thin one as a pillow on the floor. He groaned and made a face, clutching his shoulder. I grabbed the water basin nearby and a small cloth. I knelt beside him, dipping the cloth into the water and then gently cleaned his hand, which was red with his own blood.

"Artemis tried to kill us by burning us in our home. He saved us just in time, but he fell into the river after he was shot." Lola explained. She seemed tense, her hand clutching her daughter's shaky one.

Alexa looked down and sniffed, wiping her tears away. I turned to her, wondering if she needed to sit down. Lola turned to her, wiping more of the tears away. She whispered something about Hera giving her strength and Alexa nodded. I looked back at Bruce, who let out a shaky breath. He winced as he inhaled.

"Lacy?" I asked, turning back to the two women. "Is she okay?" They both frowned.

"She won't be when she realizes she's an orphan now." Lola muttered. Alexa covered her mouth and let out a muffled cry. I gasped.

I shut my eyes and sighed, reminding myself to pray to Hera later to give Lacy strength. "Go." I said. They looked at me, silently asking me if I was sure. "I'll take care of him." They nodded and Alexa followed her mother out, still holding herself.

I inspected the stranger's wound. He grips my hand tightly when I try to pull away the flayed pieces of his suit. He opens his eyes and looks at me. He releases his grip on my hand and takes a deep breath.

"I'm fine." He said as I start to search for a way to take off his suit. I raise an eyebrow at his statement.

"If that was an attempt to lie to me, it didn't work." I replied, helping him sit up.

His face scrunched up and he hissed. I reached under his cape and glided my hand over his back, finally finding the hidden seam of his suit. He shuddered at my movements, the high points of his cheeks and tips of his ears becoming a light shade of pink. I noticed, but chose not say anything on the matter.

I detach the small fasteners, starting from the lowest one at the small of his back up to the one at the nape of his neck. I pull off his suit down his arms, apologizing when he hisses again. I set it gently beside me and my eyes fall on the scars that criss crossed his chest and back. My curiosity is piqued, but I decide not to question him when I notice the ashamed look on his face. I sigh, grabbing the cloth once again and cleaned his back, which was stained red with dried blood. I set the cloth back down, standing up and grabbing a pitcher of wine that I had kept when Artemis had come over. I kneel beside him once more, removing the cork.

"I don't drink Princess." Bruce said. I dabbed a bit of the wine on to a second cloth that I grabbed and pressed it against his wound. He grunted, biting his lip. He sighed. "I forgot that this is what you use to clean wounds." He said with a smirk.

"Amazons heal very quickly, but we do tend to our wounds." I said. I gave him a small smile. "Lola told me what you had done. I don't know whether to call you the bravest man I have ever met, or the stupidest."

He held a hand to his heart. "I like the first one." He looked around us, his blue eyes settling on the empty space where the clay city once stood. "What happened?"

I looked from the space to him. I looked down at my hands, more concentrated with getting the thread to go through the needle. "Artemis. She destroyed it, so I had to clean it up." I frowned. "It's alright though. I'll just make a new one."

"You can't be serious." He inquired. "Diana, she's psychotic." I didn't respond to him. Instead, I started to stitch him up without warning. He doesn't flinch, not even a hiss. And by the look of his scars, it wasn't his first time.

"I've dealt with her abuse my entire life. I think I can handle her." I answered after a long moment of silence. "Besides, I probably deserved it. Every punishment I receive I deserve." I added, finishing the final stitch on his back.

He turned to me, concerned. He grabs my hand once again, when I attempt to stitch the cut on his chest. I avoid his gaze. "But I don't understand why she is hurting others when I'm the one who deserves it." I mumbled.

"She killed a woman today, Diana." He said quietly. I nodded. He tilted my chin towards him. "Do you really think you deserve that?" I don't answer and go back to stitching him. I wrap his shoulder in bindings after I finish. He doesn't stop staring at me, waiting patiently for my answer.

"Your mom didn't kill herself." He said. I looked up at him. He stared at me with serious eyes. "She loved you, Diana."

"You don't know that. You've never met her." I seethed. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Artemis told me she did. She was there when it happened."

"Did she tell you that Lola was there too?" He asked. I shook my head. "Artemis killed your mother. She just made that up so you would feel guilty about your mother's death."

For some reason, I actually believed him. I knew I shouldn't have, I've only known him for so long while Artemis had raised me from infancy. I knew I should've believed Artemis, but I didn't. Maybe because she had made me feel so worthless, so unloved that I thought I deserved a punishment far worse than Hades wrath. His words felt genuine, and I sought refuge in them.

He moved my hair to the side, revealing the faded scars on my back and shoulder from the whips. He gently traces over the scars and it's my turn to shudder at the sensation.

He looks at the scars sadly and looks back up at me. "You shouldn't have these scars."

I straightened up, not wanting this conversation to go any further. "Get some rest." I said. He frowned.

I turned away from him, wrapping the excess thread around the little spool. I let out a frustrated sigh, resulting in a small prick of my finger from the needle. It didn't bleed, but the action scared me and I realized I was shaking slightly. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm my agitated nerves.

It isn't until I feel the stranger's large, calloused hands on my arms that my heart returns into a normal steady beat. I lean into him, my raven hair spilling over his shoulder like black water. I turned my head to the side and tilted it up to look at him. His forest scent had pulled me into a daze and I didn't know how to react to it. He didn't seem uncomfortable, more settled. We stared at each other for a good few minutes until I felt something press against my lips.


	15. Chapter 15

Bruce

My hand skims lightly over Diana's cheek, making the goddess open her eyes. I gave her small smile and she replied with a sleepy one. I brush away the stray hairs away from her face.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" I asked softly. She shook her head, well, barely.

"How long have you been up?" She asked, nuzzling her way into my arms.

"Only a few hours." I answered, looking out at the midnight sky. She looked up at me with squinted eyes.

"You haven't gotten any sleep yet? After that expierence, I'm drained." She said with a smile. I smirked. She pulled up the blanket more to cover herself, though I saw no point to it. She had already let me see her last night.

"It was your first time, you usually get tired." I explained. She smiled again.

I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of dried paint and smoke. A loud stomp pounded in my ears. It sounded faint, but my senses were heightened, so it became louder. At first I thought it was my own heart hammering in my chest until the sound of metal being hit together followed the stomp. I squinted at the midnight sky once more, watching as an orange glow gleamed over the ledge of Diana's balcony. I sat up.

"What?" Diana asked. She sat up as well, looking in the direction I was as well.

Without telling me, she reached for her dress that lay discarded and wrinkled on the floor. I reached for the bottom half of my suit, putting it on along with my utility belt. She runs over to the balcony and looks over the ledge, a loud gasp escaping her lips. I stand up. I'm about to ask her what's happening when a group of guards come up the stairs.

They tackle me to the ground and pin Diana against the wall. They lift me up to my knees, holding my arms behind my back with their hands. I struggle against them, but they don't budge, not even a struggle. The metal of their gauntlets dig into my wrists.

The boots sound heavy and the wood creaks in pain as Artemis walks toward us calmly, dressed in full armor, a sword in her hand. She glanced at me before facing Diana. She lifts up her sword, the hilt hitting Diana's head, making her unconscious. Her body slumps to the floor. I try to get to her, but the guards restrain me and one of them grabs a handful of my hair and pulls my head back.

"Bring him. He can burn outside with the rest of them." Artemis said. She stopped and then turned back around with a wry smile. "No, he'll be the example."

I see the two guards that had pinned Diana to the wall bring out the chains that hung loose on the side of their hips. The guards holding me push me against my will to follow Artemis. We get outside, and right in front of the bell tower is a giant mound of wood and hay, with a giant wooden pole sticking abruptly out of the center. I walk towards it, my eye catching Lola and another tall red head that looked like a younger version of herself in a cage along with the small crowd of people that had witnessed the murder of the woman.

They tie my hands around the large pole. They step off the large mound and Artemis looks up at me from where she stands. She holds up the torch in her hand, and then turns to the rest of the island people, who look tired and confused at what was going on. I look up and catch a glimpse of Diana, who is chained up against one of the large columns on the rooftop of the bell tower.

"Sisters, I know why you are so confused." Artemis started. I looked back at her. She pointed at me with the torch. "This man as of this night, attempted to murder two women by burning them in their home, and then proceeded to slit open the throat of one of our guards. Those who are in cages are one of our own, and they have betrayed us by helping him. They have made up lies, saying that I am a murderer."

She looked down for a split second, a smile making its way to her lips. She looked back at the now endless sea of angry faces. She glanced at me, but I refused to let her get a reaction out of me. I held my head high, glaring at her.

"In the name of the gods, these people shall pay for their crimes by treason. And this man shall be the first to go." The crowd cheered, wanting noting more than justice for the woman that had fallen. I looked at Lola, who mouthed an apology to me. I nodded, telling her that it was okay.

Artemis turned to me, making her way up the large mound. She leaned in with a sick smile. "You know, I could stop this now. But only if you agree to live out the rest of your young days as my slave."

I smirked. "I'll see you in hell." Her smile transforms into sneer and she huffed. She walked back down, dropping the torch behind her back.

The mound lights up in flames, the orange color spreading around me. It's close enough to make me sweat, and I start to inhale the smoke. I feel like I'm in a sudden haze, and I look away from the flames after my vision starts to blur. I know the smoke is getting to my head when I become dizzy. I can't feel my strength anymore and my entire world goes suddenly back and all I can hear is the cackling sound of the fire and the angry cheers of the crowd.

I swear I hear Dick's voice in my head, calling out to me over the noise. But soon it is dead silent.


End file.
